Columbia poverty rate increases
The City of Columbia says nearly one quarter of residents are living in poverty.
The 2015 Social Services Funding Report, which the city uses for setting its budget, showed a 24 percent poverty rate, a rate that is going up.
The city council will be looking at the report Monday.
About 38 percent of children in Columbia Public Schools receive free and reduced lunches. That is more than a six percent increase from six years ago.
Steve Hollis, Department of Public Health and Human Services: “We are dealing with the causes and conditions of poverty and there’s really two parts to that. One is what causes this, and then it’s just dealing with the symptoms of poverty and how you help folks cope with that. And then ideally, preventing folks from slipping into poverty or helping them step out of poverty.”
The City of Columbia budgets about $800,000 a year to social services in the community. Some of those organizations include the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Rainbow House, and the Salvation Army’s Harbor House.
Cyndy Chapman with the Salvation Army said they have seen a dramatic increase in the people in need over the last three or four years. This year, the Harbor House has been full for longer periods than years past.
Cyndy Chapman, Salvation Army: “We’re seeing more people pouring in at an earlier time in the year. Like right now you wouldn’t think too many people are in Harbor House because it’s not very cold outside, but Harbor House is full now.”
More than half of Columbia families with females as the head of the household and children under the age of five live in poverty. Chapman said the people staying at the Harbor House are predominately women. They are the only shelter in Columbia that has separate units for families, and they have also had a higher demand for these rooms.
The Food Bank said they have helped about 100,000 people this year and expect to help at least another 14,000 more by the end of December. That is a dramatic increase from around 95,000 helped four years ago.
Even though the poverty rate is on the rise, the city reduced funding levels for social services in 2009 by about $10,000. The funding amount has stayed the same since then.
Chapman said she believes the poverty problem would lessen if the city raised that funding. And on the other hand, Patty Kirkpatrick with the Food Bank said she thinks the solution is to use the money spent on social services to create jobs instead.
